In the commercial aircraft industry, a need has developed for the capability of transporting aircraft engine components in order that these components may be repaired or retrofitted. Jet aircraft engines are perhaps the most critical assembly of an aircraft wherein the engines must be inspected and maintained to the highest level of repair. Periodically, it is necessary to remove these engines from the wing or fuselage of the aircraft so that the aircraft engine can undergo the necessary repairs. There are three major component sections of the jet aircraft engine, namely, the inlet cowl, the fan section and the core section. When the fan section is removed from the core section, this is known in the art as "engine splitting." The fan section may be removed from the core section either when the entire jet aircraft engine has been removed from the aircraft or some circumstances dictate that only the fan section be removed while the core section remain attached to the aircraft.
Some prior art devices exist for securing and transporting jet aircraft engine components that have been removed from an aircraft. Typically, these prior art devices include a number of different configurations which releasably secure the jet aircraft engine components and provide a means for moving the components so that the components may be transported to a desired location for the needed repairs or inspections.
Although the prior art devices may be adequate for their intended purposes, one significant shortfall is that none of the prior art devices provide a complete transport apparatus comprising a group of devices which are compatible with one another such that the major components of the jet aircraft engine may be secured and transported in the desired mode of transport. Furthermore, the prior art does not provide for a transport apparatus which enables aircraft engine components to be transported on differing types of aircraft and wheeled vehicles without having to use a series of complex equipment. Thus, one major advantage of the invention disclosed herein is its ability to accommodate differing aircraft engines for both air and land transport.